NHS minister's bombshell: I get emails from dead people

'Zombies' raise merry hell in my inbox, says MP

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UK health minister Simon Burns has provoked fury from anti-cuts campaigners by comparing the people who email him to zombies.

Burns blurted the jibe in the House of Commons yesterday while responding to a fellow MP who had taunted him regarding his policies. Burns accused his opponent of "simply joining the ranks of organisations like 38 Degrees by frightening people and getting them almost zombie-like to send in emails".

38 Degrees is a web-based lobbying group that encourages people to email MPs and provides template emails for campaigns - which range from protecting the NHS to rules on carbon emissions.

Burns has been on the receiving end of many emails - some from the 38 Degrees Save Our NHS campaign - because of the controversial changes he is pushing through the health system.

Burns' remarks seem to have rebounded on him though, because it has only made him the focus of another email campaign organised through 38 Degrees.

The site has also gathered 41,911 signatures on an open letter that reads: "Yesterday Health Minister Simon Burns compared 38 Degrees members with zombies - for emailing our own MPs about risks to the NHS! Let's stand together to show Mr Burns that we’re citizens, not zombies."

Burns' zombie quip went down like a lead balloon on YouTube where the clip above was posted.

"Those 'zombies' are the British public, and they put you where you are now﻿ you piece of shit" writes punter, unfortunately named "FormerHuman".